Devenish, the Northern Ireland-based animal nutrition and health group, has invested $2.25m (€2m) in Sidai Africa Ltd, a Kenyan agribusiness that supplies crop and livestock inputs to Kenyan farmers.

Founded in 2011, Sidai operates 11 of its own stores, works with 87 franchisees and employs over 120 people.

The company works with over 200,000 Kenyan farmers every year, providing services to livestock farmers such as herd vaccination, mastitis testing and treatment, on-farm advice and milk quality testing. For crops, the company offers soil testing and agronomy advice.

Devenish say the investment is part of its long-term growth strategy to expand into emerging markets. The company added that the investment will enable Sidai to expand its distribution network, launch new products and reach even more farmers across Kenya.

In 2018, Devenish secured €118m in long-term funding, which was partly financed to the tune of €40m by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The company planned to invest the funding in growing its R&D and manufacturing capabilities as well as to facilitate mergers and acquisitions.